No predictions or heartwarming coincidences that could spell out the best of all fates this time. I don’t want to become one of those guys who puts their money where their mouth is, only to replace it with a foot. Feet and money are probably two of the nastiest things you could put in your mouth, so I’ll stay in the middle with my words. For now, at least. If you’re here to get all rowdy, well, you can take your team’s supremacy somewhere else. After all, it’s just basketball. I’m trying a second attempt at this “basketball diaries” thing. After reading the entries from last year, I feel like I was optimistic to the point where some think it may have compromised my intelligence. Well, it’s time to be realistic, y’all.
It wasn’t a surprise to anyone that, after a poor showing in the ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack ended their 2007-2008 season on a bad note. Oh, well, it had a promising start. N.C. State fans were left shaking their heads. I was just tired. After seeing UNC win twice in our house for the NCAA regionals last season, I was ready to sleep until November. Is that what that Wyclef Jean song is about?
It also wasn’t a surprise that our best player last season, J. J. Hickson, left to pursue a more lucrative career in the NBA. And why not? Hickson led the Pack in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg) and blocked shots (1.52 bpg). And even though our 2009 class is shaping up nicely, it’s 2008. The Wolfpack has got some work to do. Needless to say, I was glad to read about an upcoming trip to Canada for the Pack before the football season even started. That showed me that at least I’m not crazy in thinking some extra effort is needed.
The trip was good for the Wolfpack. Brandon Costner led four N.C. State players in double figures with a game-high 31 points against York University. They struggled in the first half, only hitting 29%. But they won 81-60, so I’ll ignore percentages. 19 points is a good cushion. Costner said after the game that “The first half was just a feeling out process for us, but we played much better in the second half. We were more aggressive coming out of the locker room, and we finished plays that we were not taking advantage of in the first half.” Well, that sounds positive. The next test, against Guelph, yielded better results. A 87-47 (dude, that’s forty points) win for the Wolfpack included a 46% 3-point shooting effort. Costner had another good night, with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Dennis Horner came off the bench to finish with 22 points. The same starting line-up was utilized on both nights, with Gonzalez and Ferguson at the guards and Costner, Fells and Smith making up the front line. Julius Mays finished with 10 points and 5 assists. Sweet.
Yes, Julius Mays is one of the new guys (a.k.a. freshman). Let’s get to know them. Mays averaged 18.6 points per game as a senior, including 44.3% from three point range. Mays led his team to a 24-5 record, and the 4-A state championship game. C.J. Williams is from Fayetteville. Williams averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a senior. He led his team to a 27-5 record and the state 4-A semifinals. Johnny Thomas, a redshirt frosh, missed last season due to a knee injury. Hopefully he can make some good contributions this year. Spencer Greenway is a local boy. Greenway averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds per game as a senior at Cardinal Gibbons. Kendall Smith hails from Winston-Salem and averaged 18 points and 11.5 rebounds per game as a senior. 11 rebounds per game? Let’s just hope some of that transfers to the college game.
So 5 newbies and 9 returners, including seniors Courtney Fells, Simon Harris and Ben McCauley. The exhibition games gave the Wolfpack the chance to establish this “new team with no I (or 1)” mentality. They topped Fort Valley State by 29 points. Not really surprised. However, they were slack on rebounds, which was one of those Hickson specialties. Fells said that it needs to be a collective effort by the team. Guard play was looking iffy too, according to various reports. State still won (94-65) but not in the fashion that UNC (102-62) or Duke (95-42) won their first exhibition games. Wake Forest (97-62) seems to be in our ballpark, but we still have the smallest point difference. Then, the Pack topped Catawba 85-61, but Ryan Craig (of 99.9 FM The Fan) said the performance was a “mixed bag,” and that, since Gonzalez shot so poorly, our guard play may have to rely on Degand. I don’t know about that. I think Gonzalez just needs to get warmed up. I’m sure we’ll see the Javi we saw versus Duke in the RBC Center last year soon enough. Let’s just hope the wait is not long. The most interesting thing (to me) about the second pre-season game was that Lowe used a 10-man rotation. I know it’s probably just because it was exhibition… or was it? Who knows. That would be an interesting thing to witness as the season starts at New Orleans this Saturday.
A somewhat notable quotable from the Catawba game, courtesy of Brandon Costner, when talking about Coach Lowe’s up-tempo style:
“That’s how we play, that’s who we are this year. Nobody is taking any plays off, so we are going to need fresh bodies. Nobody can sustain the kind of energy we are putting out every play, so (you) might as well get used to it. That’s what’s going to happen.”
Dude, no! Don’t say things like that! That almost sounds like a Gavin Grant promise. Please, choose those words CAREFULLY!!! That goes for all of you. Seriously. Especially since you are opening the season away from home.
“I like going on the road, taking over other people’s territory and giving it back to them when we are done with it.”
-Farnold Degand
Um, what did I just say? And what exactly do you think your opponent’s court is? I mean, really… I’m curious. At least the confidence is there. That’s a plus.
Once again, I’m going to bring you my first-hand experience of the home games. This time, it will be all home games in the RBC Center, as long as everything stays cool. Hopefully I won’t lose the camera this time.
You can listen to the season opener (as well as all other games) on 101.5 FM.
The next entry will cover the first four games of the season. It will include some first hand notes from the first home game at Reynolds against High Point. See you after November 30th. Happy Turkey Day and GO PACK!
Welcome to New Raleigh. We welcome your participation in the ongoing discussion. Before posting we ask that you read our Comment Policy and we invite you to register with our site. If you want to keep up with the news on our blog, subscribe to the RSS feed or get emailed every time we post.